Make sure your organization’s spam filters are up to date – and the same goes for your user training on how to avoid downloading malware through incoming emails.
According to recent research, the amount of spam being sent is rising — and more of it contains malicious attachments, too.
The number of malicious spam emails trying to get to in-boxes has reached a two-year high, according to a recent report by M86 Security Labs. Last week, M86 says, malicious emails made up an unusually high 13% of all spam sent.
The firm identified five recent scams that have contributed to the spike in malware:
- A phony message from FedEx about a failed delivery
- A message announcing that a credit card payment has been blocked
- A generic email that claims to include an attached invoice
- A message containing an attached “changelog”, and
- A phony confirmation for a hotel booking.
Those messages all contain attachments that recipients are supposed to download for more information.
Given the spike in malicious spam, it may be a good time to remind users not to open email attachments unless they’re absolutely certain what the file will be.